Videos
A Path To Net Zero
Designing and building net zero homes is Rountree Architect's passion. The short film titled: “A Path to Net Zero” features a home they had the privilege to work on in Westport.
The film was made by my Mr. Rountree's son, Ben Rountree, who is a cinematographer, under a grant from the Connecticut Architectural Foundation, with partial sponsorship from UniLux (windows) and Mitsubishi (heat pumps).
Buildings produce 40% of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. This film makes a powerful statement for the need for net-zero homes in light of the recent catastrophic climate events.
They recently entered the film in an AIA Film competition and it was selected as one of the finalists.
Weston Net-Zero House
This is a new house I designed for a wooded lot in Weston, CT that is currently in construction. It is designed to be a near “net-zero energy” home. The main house is 3,500sf with a 700sf detached artist Studio. It will be constructed using “Insulating Concrete Forms” (ICFs) and the roof and exterior walls will be clad with standing seam metal. The windows will be triple pane tilt-turn from Europe. The house will have radiant floor heating and a ducted min-split heat pump for supplemental heating and cooling. Because of the high level of air tightness the house, it will also have a balanced heat-recovery-ventilation system to bring in fresh air. The center of the house will feature a 25 foot high Living Room with a balcony and a sky-bridge connecting two 2nd Floor Bedroom wings.
The house will be powered by at 14kW PV system.
Compo Road, Westport, CT Solar Retrofit
This video was made during the installation of our roof integrated solar system in 2010. At the time I was working as an architect and leading a solar consulting company, Westport Solar Consultants. The video shows the panels being installed and describes the multi-functional nature of the system.
A more "nuts and bolts" discussion and tour of the above home with specific installation and performance details.
Compo Road, Westport, CT Solar Retrofit
Compo Road, Westport, Drone Fly-Over
A "view from above..."
In-Depth Discussion Of Recent Net-Zero Energy Projects
John Rountree was recently invited to speak at a local Westport, CT discussion group on the topic of environmentally conscious architecture and how his clients benefit from this energy efficiency at the same time as the planet also benefits.
In this presentation, John discusses several clients' stories and how Rountree created something extremely efficient, AND lovely. Enjoy learning more about how Rountree Architecture is constantly discovering new ways of designing and building with the earth in mind.